Facts About Fibroids

The good news about fibroid tumors is that they are rarely cancerous. The bad news is that they tend to develop during a woman’s peak reproductive years and they can affect your ability to become pregnant.
Fibroids are the most common type of tumor found in the pelvis and they are generally located in various spots in the uterus. Normally, you wouldn’t even be aware that you have them, unless they grow excessively large or cause discomfort. They rarely develop before the age of 20 and are non-existent before the onset of puberty, leading many experts to believe that they may be an adverse reaction to estrogen production. Generally, they shrink in size and in some cases can actually disappear in post-menopausal women who do not take estrogen supplements.
Pregnancy, a time when there is increased estrogen production, and the use of birth control pills that contain estrogen, may cause fibroids to grow more rapidly.
Most women with fibroid tumors experience no symptoms at all. When they do, they generally complain of pain and excessive bleeding during menstruation, which may not be noticeable at first. But then the woman’s periods may begin to last longer, and sometimes there is constant bleeding. Another symptom may be an enlarged stomach due to the stretching of the uterus that results in the intestines being pushed upward.
Fibroids are usually discovered during an annual gynecological examination when a mass may be detected. Many doctors will perform an ultrasound to properly diagnose the mass.
While hysterectomy was once the treatment of choice for fibroids, there are far less invasive alternatives. Some believe that fibroids are the result of certain trace mineral deficiencies, estrogen imbalance, inflammatory diet, obesity or the way we handle stress.
Our office has helped many women with fibroids, by restoring harmony to the nervous system through adjusting, nutritional guidance, and weight reduction.
Surgery and the use of pharmacological agents should always be the last resort for treating any health problem. Try natural, safer, less-invasive methods first!
Call us today to see if we can help you!   (386) 492-4881 or reach us at here!

Do I Have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Many people believe they have carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The majority have been told by their medical doctor that they have CTS. Others have mistakenly concluded that because they have some numbness and tingling in their wrist or hand, they must have this neurological disorder. Still others have ongoing forearm, wrist, or hand pain (possibly localized to the thumb and/or index finger), and are led by articles they've read on the Internet to diagnose themselves with CTS. Almost all of this is in error.^1,2

Why are so many diagnoses of this condition mistaken? The primary culprit is lazy clinical decision-making, compounded by a failure to understand correctly the workings of the musculoskeletal system. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a specific diagnosis which involves mechanical pressure on the median nerve as it passes through a small tunnel in the wrist created by tiny adjoining bones. There's not much room in this carpal tunnel and its dimensions can be narrowed further by inflammatory conditions such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. Pregnancy can lead to CTS owing to increased fluid retention. Repetitive stress may lead to inflammation of tendons that cross the wrist. Such inflammation may lead to soft tissue swelling which compresses the carpal tunnel, causing CTS. Various other disorders should also be considered when CTS is suspected.

Importantly, CTS is not a catchall diagnosis to be used when a person has forearm, wrist, and/or hand pain. If a person really has CTS, he or she will have specific symptoms. The person will awaken at night owing to pain and/or numbness and tingling. Symptoms will be precisely located to the thumb and index finger (possibly involving the middle finger). Wrist pain may or may not be present. Also, the person will demonstrate a weakness of pinch grip involving the thumb and index finger. If these signs and symptoms are not present, the person does not have carpal tunnel syndrome. Usually, the diagnosis is clearcut and does not require special tests such as electromyography.

Remarkably, most physicians, regardless of specialty, are unaware of these important criteria. If the patient has pain and/or numbness in the hand, the patient has CTS. Case closed. This lack of sophistication leads to real harm done to the patient, such as unnecessary tests which waste time, cost a lot of money, and may result in damaging surgery which is not curative as it was directed at a problem that really wasn't there.

In marked contrast, chiropractors are highly trained in accurate analysis of musculoskeletal problems involving the shoulder, arm, and hand.³ When patients have symptoms mimicking those of carpal tunnel syndrome, chiropractors use their broad knowledge and experience to correctly evaluate the situation. For example, spinal dysfunction, muscle spasm, and trigger points can all cause symptoms which appear to be those of CTS. Chiropractors are able to see through this masquerade and effectively address the real underlying problems.

 

 Many musculoskeletal problems, including symptoms masquerading as carpal tunnel syndrome, are effectively managed by chiropractic care. The key, as always, lies in accurate evaluation of the cause of the patient's pain patterns.

To a very large extent, physical pain involving the spine, arms, and legs is related to mechanical joint dysfunction. There are exceptions, of course, including pain caused by a severe acute injury or an inflammatory condition such as ankylosing spondylitis. But in most cases, chiropractic care will provide a solution to a person's musculoskeletal pain, resulting in a reduction or even a resolution of the problem.
It's important to remember that most painful symptoms don't just happen on their own. Your chiropractor will do more than address the problem at hand. He or she may also help you design an effective exercise program and a healthful nutrition plan to optimize your health and well-being over the long-term.

¹Ibrahim I, et al: Carpal tunnel syndrome. Review of the recent literature. Open Orthop J 6:69-75, 2012

²Uchiyama S, et al: Current concepts of carpal tunnel syndrome: pathophysiology, treatment, and evaluation. J Orthop Sci 15(1):1-13, 2010

³Bialosky JE, et al: Heightened pain sensitivity in individuals with signs and symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome and the relationship to clinical outcomes following a manual therapy intervention. Man Ther 16(6):602-608, 2011

Pregnancy Related Pains

Pregnancy is a time of rapid physiological changes with the most dramatic being physical. Those physical changes are often associated with pain and discomfort. For those expecting mothers who do experience pain and discomfort, the primary location is in the region of the lower back, pelvic girdle and legs.  A recent study conducted by the Spain National Health Service indicated that more than half of pregnant women experience low back pain (71%) and pelvic girdle pain (65%), and close to half (46%) experience leg pain. Results came from 61 clinicians across 5 regions in Spain consisting of 1158 pregnant women in their 31st through 38th week of pregnancy. Chiropractors have thorough training to assist with the physical pain and discomfort often associated with pregnancy. There are a number of chiropractic techniques as well as exercise and stretching regimes that can be utilized to help reduce the pain and discomfort of pregnancy and keep the future mom on track for the big day. If you're an expecting mother experiencing those pregnancy related pains and discomfort, why not consider safe, natural chiropractic care.  If you know someone who is pregnant, please refer them to our office, so we can make a healthy difference for them and their baby!  (386) 492-4881 Source: Spine: 01 August 2012 - Volume 37 - Issue 17.